LOS ANGELES --- The Calgary Flames extinguished the four-game win streak of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night in a 5-1 victory for the visiting squad.
With no action in the first period, both goaltenders stood strong in their cages, with Kings' backup Dave Rittich getting the start and Dan Vladar on the opposite side of the ice for the Flames. Rittich finished the night with 24 saves on 29 shots, while Vladar had a solid 30 saves with only one goal against.
The first goal of the game would come from center Nazam Kadri two minutes into the second period. After a puck bounced around in front of the net, Kadri scraped up the rebound and rounded all the way around the cage before ripping a shot into the back of the net to make the score 1-0 in the direction of Calgary.
The second period would end with the Flames up by one, but the team would light on fire in the third and score four straight goals in six minutes of hockey.
First, it would be fourth-line center Sam Morton scoring his first career goal six minutes into the frame. In a tough three-on-two scenario, winger Ryan Lomberg would make a pass to the front of the net, where Morton would tap in the goal past Rittich to push the Flames' lead up to two.
Kadri would score under a minute and a half later for his second goal of the game. On a two-on-one, winger Dryden Hunt tossed a saucer pass over a diving Kings player across the ice for a one-timer on the opposite circle for Kadri to make the score 3-0.
Under a minute later, defenseman Zayne Parekh scored his first goal in the NHL as well to push the score to 4-0. Center Mikael Backlund made a great play at the blueline to spin around and take a shot, which was deflected in front of the net by Parekh. This was the second Flame in the game to score in their NHL debut.
To round out the scoring and put Calgary up by five goals, Backlund would score his 15th goal of the season. On a two-on-two, the center pushed down the left wing and took a shot himself, which snuck past Rittich on the glove side.
The Kings' only goal would come from winger Taylor Ward on the powerplay with just over six minutes to play. With just under a minute left in the man-advantage, defenseman Jordan Spence took a one-timer at the left circle that Vladar initially saved. The rebound, though, would pop out to Ward, who tapped in his first goal in his NHL debut as well.
After the game, head coach Jim Hiller talked about Ward's first career goal.
"That was the positive you take out of the night, for sure," Hiller said. "We’re all really happy for him. I thought he played really well. He had other chances, we saw that, he was around the puck. Despite getting the goal, I thought he impressed, his overall game, it was good."
Los Angeles' next foe will be the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-seven-game series in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoff. After the game, Spence talked about how much he is looking forward to Game One.
"I think we’re more excited," Spence said. "We’re trying to win the Stanley Cup and I think it’s that we have to refocus on our way of play, on our goals. We’re playing against Edmonton again, so we’re really excited, to be honest with you, to go against them again and have that matchup."
Game one against the Oilers starts on Monday at 7 p.m.